


youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty

by Platinum_Amortentia



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Anyways, F/M, Lost Boys, Neverland, OFC - Freeform, Once Upon A Time, Peter Pan - Freeform, Rumplestiltskin - Freeform, get some pan, love interest oooo, more to come soon, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2018-01-15 05:43:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1293478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Platinum_Amortentia/pseuds/Platinum_Amortentia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Everyone here hates you..." she said sadly, stroking a hand over his pale cheek.<br/>He shrugged in return, looking down. "They can think what they want."<br/>"I don't hate you, Peter," she told him, a small encouraging smile spreading across her face. "In fact, I want to be here with you forever. I'll help you run this place, and help save your life." She took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Together, we can be forever young."</p>
            </blockquote>





	youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty

**Author's Note:**

> “Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” ~ Franz Kafka

When Pan decided to make Neverland his permanent home, he had no qualms about leaving the rest of his life and ties to it behind. However, something he didn't plan on was getting lonely.

The first week on the island was alright. The tree he decided was home made a lovely spot to build a house on, and magic took care of that swiftly. That was the thing about Neverland: the magic was incredibly strong. After all, the entire place ran on imagination, and the waves lulled him peacefully to sleep every night.

Something else he discovered about his new home was that it seemed to be a place that children pined for. He had many a visit from children all over the world who would come to Neverland in their dreams. Pan grew fonder of the company with each visit. It was nice to have someone else around to enjoy perpetual youth with. But alas, as his fondness grew, so did his disappointment when the children woke up and had to leave him on his own once again. So he made a plan.

The pipe.

The pipe he constructed out of wood one day, the pipe that came from pure boredom and loneliness. The pipe that he so effortlessly learned to play, as if... As if he had a gift. As if the haunting tune that soon became his favorite was one he had known since the day he was born.

~~~

The fire burned brightly, illuminating the boys whooping and hollering as they danced around it in the moonlight. Pan smiled and kept playing the haunting tune over and over again as they danced. The song was his rock, his comfort... The thing that never failed him. He knew it was only time before he would be disturbed, though. But he was ready.

"Are you surprised to see me, Rumple?" he asked the older man as he appeared across the charade. "I don't blame you. I'm a little surprised myself." He looked the other man up and down with dark, amused eyes. "Look at you, all grown up and become the Dark One. Good for you!"

"What are you doing here?" Rumple managed to ask, still in disbelief over the scene he was witnessing.

Pan shrugged. "It was lonely in Neverland. The only friends I have are the children who visit in their dreams. They can't stay..." He cast a glance over at the boys still dancing around the fire. "The boys I take back with me will."

"It's gonna take a lot more than a magic pipe to take these boys back with you," Rumple spat out.

"The only thing magic about this pipe, is that only certain boys can hear it," Pan drawled. "Boys who feel unloved, boys who feel lost." He smiled then. "I like the sound of that...that's what I'll call my new group of friends. The Lost Boys! Has a nice ring to it..."

~~~

More or less, they were good friends. The Lost Boys added character, life, and a bit of spark to the island. But most importantly, they added friendship for Pan. These boys, he found out, seemed to love him more than he had ever been loved before in his life. They hung on his every word, did everything that he said...and before long, Neverland was running smoothly as an island of youth and full of magic, with none other than Peter Pan at the helm. Forever young, and forever confident that things were finally going the way they were supposed to.

Until one day, when everything changed.

~~~

A cough.

A measly little weak cough that erupted from a raw throat made it's way to Pan's ears. What the hell was that?

He inched his way down the well worn path to the ocean and peered out from behind a tree. Did one of the boys sneak away from camp without his permission?

The cough sounded again, more forced this time. A gasp for breath followed.

Pan scanned the beach, keen dark eyes suspiciously searching, ready and willing to guard his territory or put one of the boys in place if need be. But what he saw then made his mind go blank.

It was a girl. 

She lay soaking wet on the edge of the beach, the water lapping at her bare ankles. Dark hair spread out in a massive mop around her, draping over tattered clothes that covered her body. Pan kept watching from behind the tree, curiously waiting to see who she was, what she would do. But nothing ever happened. Besides a deep cough every now and again and occasional seawater being spewed up, the girl lay motionless. If he didn't see her chest moving up and down, he would have thought she was dead.

Pan hadn't seen a girl in years, let alone one who was on death's door. But curiosity got the best of him, and he soon found himself inching out from behind the tree and making his way down his beachfront to see the intruder. Either that or wait for the sea to pull her carcass out again, and something about that just didn't seem right. Not on Neverland.

Pan came to a stop right in front of the girl's face, which was pressed cheek against the rough, wet sand. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily, still motionless. As he studied her thoughtfully, the girl's eyes slowly opened and she looked up at him with a hopeless, weak gaze before coughing again and letting her eyes fall shut. Not a word was spoken to him, but he knew somehow that her time was limited.

Pan sucked in his bottom lip in thought as he looked at her helpless figure. No one should have to die in Neverland. Especially a child. Neverland was only for children, no adults allowed. And the girl seemed to be about his age...

But it's a girl! the other side of his brain countered. And Neverland is a boys only place! What are you gonna do with her around?

Before he knew what he was even doing, Pan scooped up the girl in his arms and started to make his way back to his treehouse. All he could think of was the wet warmth in his arms, still breathing faintly, and the vial of pixie dust on a cord around his neck.

**Author's Note:**

> PLEAAASEEE let me know if you want me to continue with this story! I had trouble starting it of course as beginning are tough sometimes but I did weave in some direct scenes and quotes from the show before taking it in my own Neverland solely direction.


End file.
